My balcony renaturation program is hitting like a truck. Going outside there is like visiting a conservation camp, and the sheer diversity of different insects and stuff is just amazing.
The only "problem" is, that my fellow ants think the same, and also started inhabiting said oasis.
They are everywhere.
I highly suspect that there might be a hive somewhere, because they are forming literal highways.
Right now, they basically just exist and aren't getting much in my way.
Some of them already found a way to get inside my apartment, and those few sadly needed to die (I feed my carnivorous plant with them).
It would be a horror if they find the pet bowl with food in there, or the trash can.
But outside? I don't care much, as long as they don't attack or harm me or my crops in any way.
Others would already have poisoned all of them, because it really looks like an infestation. My neighbours for example already did...
But realising that literally everywhere in nature it looks like this made me think that this is healthy and normal.
So, my question is:
- Can there be a TOO much? When is the point reached? When should I intervene, and how? I don't wanna kill all of them, just control the population if it really is needed.
- How about aphids? From what I know, they farm them like cattle to get the sap, and also protect them against predators like ladybugs. One of my reasons I chose to create this ecosystem is the natural regulation of pests, including aphids. Do I have to worry about that? How is it balanced in nature?
- What do they feed on? I saw them attacking an earth worm today. Do I have to worry about them killing beneficial organisms?
Any tips on how to get rid of them?
Along with diatomaceous earth, consider buying nematodes. They are tiny living creatures, and one of the varieties eats ants. There are multiple varieties, so make sure you get the right one!
Food grade Diatomaceous earth. Won’t harm you or your pets but will kill the ants.
I agree with this. It's what we've used to keep a sugar ant infestation from overwhelming us. We had to step up to a professional spray, but inside the diatomaceous earth was a lifesaver for years before it just got too bad outside. And food grade is easy enough to find and safe in the kitchen (where the sugar ants liked to be here)
Typical ant control involves leaving sterilizing bait granules on (or near) "roadways". Worker ants carry them into the hive and feed them to the queens. The trick is that they aren't poisonous, they are sterilizing. The queens cannot produce more workers and the colony gradually disappears.
Not sure about effects on other insects. I think the key would be putting them where ants travel, because that's where other insects don't.
There are bait boxes that you can put in the ant trails/highways. I think they're called Ameisen köderdose in german. Much less cleanup compared to granulates/powder that you pour out.
Thanks mein Freund, then I'll think about buying an Ameisenblaukorngiftköderfallendose if needed 👍
rofl, and people whine about swedes combining words. :D
We sprinkle a line of food-grade diatomaceous earth outside right next to each of our doors, so the outside ants would have to cross it to get inside.
We also got a plate that’s larger than our pet’s food bowl. We put diatomaceous earth on the plate and then put the pet bowl on top of that.
Finally we put out a borax-sugar solution. I drilled some ant-sized holes in the side of several plastic containers that have tight lids (we have an indoor bunny and I didn’t want her getting into the borax even though it shouldn’t be enough to affect her). I soak cotton balls in the borax solution, put them in the plastic containers, and place the containers along any ant trails I notice.
Borax solution: 1 cup warm water, 5 Tbsp + 1 tsp white/caster sugar, 1 Tbsp borax. Mix until dissolved.
Do you know where I can find Borax locally for reasonable prices?
I find it in a box at the grocery store in the laundry aisle. In Canada the product is even named Borax, but if you’re somewhere else you might have to check the ingredients on products if they’re covering it with another name (e.g. how “Mrs. Dash” is just MSG).
Same as i_stole_ur_taco. The brand I buy is “20 Mule Team” and it’s advertised as a detergent booster. The only ingredient is sodium tetraborate.